* Every once in a while, something comes along that, right from the
outset, marks it as a classic in its field. In films, you have
"Gone With The Wind"; auto buffs of the 1930s viewed the
Bugatti Royale with awe. Currently, I am pleased to note that The
British Serice Lee, by Ian Skennerton, Arms & Armour Press, has all
the earmarks of an instant winner.

To those of us who are Enfield Buffs, the only real reference in
recent years has been Major E.G.B. Reynold's The Lee Enfield
Rifle, now out of print. Unfortunately, that book placed major emphasis
on the No. 4, Mark I Enfield, and rather skimped on some of the earlier
patterns.

Not so with The British Service Lee. Skennerton's large
format (410 pages) volume is chock full of juicy information about the
precursers of the Lee Metfords and Enfields, and covers the entire
lineage with a profusion of rare period photos, as well as detailed
modern artwork, showing guns and many of their salient features.

Information includes original research as well as exerpts from
contemporary government publications and studies. There are separate
chapters covering production of arms in Australia, the United States,
India, and Canada, and an extremely detailed study of Lee ammunition.

As well as the standard military arms in .303, sub-caliber trainers
are given the best treatment I have seen in years. Tables containing
proofs, and factory and national markings make this a must-have for
those, like myself, who have spent countless hours trying to determine
the provenance of a particular piece.

The British Service Lee is more or less divided into two parts. The
first portion is a detailed history of the Lees, finishing off with
chapters on cartridges, wirebrakers and cutters, grenade launchers and
bayonets.

The second section covers each rifle separately, reiterating and
condensing much of the information contained previously. Full-length
photos of each arm allow the researcher to immediately identify a piece;
if one wishes to learn more one may turn to a pertinent earlier chapter
and delve into the gun's background more deeply.

It is difficult to praise this book too highly. One rarely sees
such painstaking work nowadays. I would welcome a similarly
well-produced volume on, say, Remington rifles. Skennerton, who has
written several other fine volumes having to do with British arms and
equipment, is to be congratulated on The British Service Lee. It is an
obvious labor of love that avoids the too real danger of infatuation
with any one specific model.

The British Service Lee is available from most booksellers
specializing in outdoors publications, or from the exclusive North
American distributor, IDSA Books, Dept. GA, P.O. Box 185, Hamilton, OH
45012, for $32.50 plus $1.50 postage.

COPYRIGHT 1984 InterMedia Outdoors, Inc.
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.